“I didn’t want to say this before, but when you were gone, I was worried about you.”

Randy’s movements froze at Lacey’s comment, and he turned his head to face her. She expected an impish grin and a joke that would lighten the moment, but his expression was the most serious she’d ever seen.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad.”

“I don’t know, either. I’m so confused. And so scared.”

Before she realized what he was doing, Randy tipped his head slightly, leaned forward and brushed a slow, gentle kiss to her lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning. We’ve got some sidewalks to sell.”

In the split second it took her to catch his quip about the upcoming sidewalk sale, he’d closed the car door behind him and was gone.

Lacey would indeed see him tomorrow. And every day thereafter.

She pressed her fingers to her lips and prayed she was doing the right thing.

GAIL SATTLER

lives in Vancouver, British Columbia (where you don’t have to shovel rain), with her husband of twenty-six years, three sons, two dogs, five lizards, one toad and a degu named Bess. Gail loves to read stories with a happy ending, which is why she writes them. Visit Gail’s Web site at www.gailsattler.com.

Changing Her Heart

Gail Sattler

Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

—Psalms 37:27

Dedicated to my husband, Tim, and my kids Justin,

Chris and Tyrone, who take care of stuff so

I can write, no matter how long it takes

or how crazy things get.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Letter to Reader

Chapter One

“There’s something you don’t see very often.”

Lacey Dachin’s mouth dropped open. All the pins she’d had pressed between her lips fell to the floor.

A man was standing at the panty hose rack, holding two types of panty hose, one package in each hand, quite obviously comparison shopping.

Lacey got to her feet, knowing she would never get her customer’s hem straight now.

She kept her voice down to a whisper. “You know, Vivian, I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember where.”

Lacey and Vivian stared as the man looked back and forth between the two packages, and then appeared to study one of them more closely.

“The one he’s so interested in is the most expensive we have,” Lacey muttered.

He tucked the less-expensive package back into the rack, and continued reading.

Vivian’s gaze dropped to the man’s pants. “I hope he’s not buying them for himself.”

Lacey stiffened. As creepy as it was, she couldn’t stand in judgment. “Who he’s buying them for is not my concern. It is only my concern that he needs help.”

“Then…then I think I should be going,” Vivian stammered. “I’ll leave the dress in the changing room, and I’ll be back on Friday.”

“Thanks. That gives me plenty of time. I’ll see you then.”

Once Vivian disappeared back into the changing room, Lacey gathered her courage and swallowed hard. She’d seen many odd things over the years when she worked at the La Boutique downtown branch, but this was not something she expected to deal with at the suburban outlet. “Can I help you?” she asked as she approached him.

“Um, yes…. Can you turn around for a minute?”

Lacey turned around. She didn’t understand what it was he didn’t want her to see, but again, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know.

“That’s good. Thanks.”

As she turned back to him, she saw his cheeks redden, and he averted his eyes. “I—I guess you’re about the same height and, uh, stuff,” he stammered, then extended the package toward her. “Without having to get too personal, what size would you buy if you were buying these for yourself?”

Lacey felt her own cheeks burn. The sizing on the back of the package was determined by height and weight. She had a bad feeling she knew what he had been looking at when she turned around, but at least he hadn’t asked her to bend over. For a second she considered telling him one size lower than her own, but his reason for wanting to know had nothing to do with her vanity.

“I’d buy that size. Is it the right color?”

“I guess so. I’ll take it.”

She started walking toward the sales counter, not quite comfortable with him being behind her. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked over her shoulder.

Once again, his cheeks darkened. “No,” he mumbled. “I think this is enough torture for one day.”

Feeling bolder with the counter between them, she finally noticed he was wearing the name badge, “Randy.”

“You work at the computer store next door, don’t you?”

The red blush crept upward to his ears. He stared down at the counter and pushed the package closer to her. “Yes.”

“Can I ask you something?”

His lips tightened. “This isn’t for me.”

“Actually, I need to buy a computer, and I need help to figure out what kind.”

His entire posture relaxed and he raised his head. “In that case, ask me anything,” he said with a smile.

Lacey’s breath caught at the sudden eye contact. It suddenly hit her what an attractive man he was. His blue eyes sparkled and little crinkles appeared at the sides of his eyes, making him almost movie-star handsome. Not that she had never come in contact with a good-looking man, but it was rare to find one in the hosiery section.

She returned her attention to the transaction. “I don’t know much about computers.”

“That doesn’t matter. I can still help you pick the right one. Do you want a desktop or a laptop?”

“I don’t really know. Bryce went back to university, and now he’s in his last year. Everyone says his computer is too old to be upgraded, so I’m going to surprise him with a new one for his birthday.”

His smile faltered, but only momentarily. “That’s a really nice surprise. If you tell me how much you want to spend, I’ll show you a few.”

“I’d like that.”

Randy checked his watch. “I’m sorry to do this, but I have to get back—my break is up. If you want to come into the store, I can show you anything you want to see.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He nodded, and before she could say any more, he turned and walked out.

Lacey stared at the empty space. She’d tried to make it a pleasant transaction, yet it appeared that he still felt awkward. But she really did need a computer, and for some reason, she trusted him, even if he did buy panty hose.

Randy Reynolds tossed the bag containing the panty hose onto the counter toward Carol. It skimmed past the cash register and came to a stop inches from her hand.

“I hope you’re happy,” he grumbled. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”

“Knowing you, I doubt that,” Carol said, then laughed, which only made Randy more annoyed. She lowered her head and began to pick at the hole in the panty hose on her leg. “Besides, this was your fault.”

“It was your fault for standing too close and getting in the way. I told you to move when I was rearranging those display cases.” He glared in disgust at the bag.

“Quit complaining and look on the bright side. This gave you a chance to meet Lacey. Isn’t she cute?”

“She’s a grown woman, not a six year old. She’s not cute.”

Carol leaned over the counter and latched on to his sleeve, preventing him from walking away. “No. She’s more than cute. She’s gorgeous. And she’s nice, too.”

Randy stared down at Carol’s perfectly manicured hand. “Forget it. I’m not interested.”

Carol pulled his sleeve, forcing him closer. The only reason he complied was because he didn’t want to make a scene while they were supposed to be working.

Her voice lowered to just barely above a whisper. “I don’t understand you. Why don’t you date women?”

“It’s okay. I don’t date men, either.”

She failed to laugh at his little joke. Unfortunately, she also failed to release him. “You know what I mean. I want you to be happy.”

“I’d be happy if you let me go.”

She did, but instead of letting him get back to work, Carol hustled out from behind the counter and stood in front of him. “Look at me!”

Carol ran her fingers through her bright red hair, the color of which Randy knew came out of a bottle.

He couldn’t help but compare the fake color of Carol’s hair to the natural brown of Lacey’s. He liked the natural shade of Lacey’s better.

“What about you?” he asked.

Carol raised her left hand and flashed her engagement ring in front of his nose. Not for the first time, the size caused him to wonder if the diamond was as fake as her hair.

“See how happy I am? I want you to be happy, too. My wedding is only two hundred and twenty-seven days away.”

And his best friend Bob’s wedding to Georgette was getting closer, as well.

At the thought of Bob’s upcoming wedding, Randy’s heart clenched. Bob was getting married, and their friend Adrian was married. Already Celeste was pregnant, and the baby was due sometime around their first anniversary. He knew Bob would also want to be a father shortly after his wedding. Of course Randy was happy for all of them, but at the same time, watching Celeste’s tummy grow was a stark reminder of what Randy knew he could never have. He could never get married, and he certainly couldn’t ever be a father.

Carol clasped her hands, pressed them to her chest and spun around in a circle. “It’s so wonderful to be in love. Haven’t you ever been in love?” she asked melodramatically.

Randy’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn’t say he ever had been in love. For too many years he’d been totally wrapped up in himself, doing only what he wanted, when he wanted, regardless of the cost to anyone else. Now he was paying the price, and he had to make sure that no one else had to pay the price with him, ever again.

He certainly didn’t want some unfortunate woman to think he was marriage material. Now he had no one but God to answer to for his mistakes. It was better that way.

“I’m a free spirit,” he said.

Carol sighed dramatically. “I know Lacey would be perfect for you.”

“How can you say that? I’ve never even heard you mention her name before.”

“I know. I’ve only met her a few times. She only started working next door last week.”

“Last week?” Randy sputtered. “Then what makes you qualified to make such a statement?”

“A woman just knows these things.”

“You don’t know anything. Now quit fooling around. We’d better get back to work.”

This time, Carol did leave him alone, but all day long, her words kept coming back to haunt him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lacey. She was kind of pretty, in a wholesome and unpretentious sort of way. She was also a few pounds heavier than what was considered fashionably thin, but that hinted at a lack of obsession with her weight. More important, it looked like she had strength of character, which was better than the superficial charm Carol displayed with skirts that were consistently too short to be respectable for someone doing retail sales.

Lacey, on the other hand, had been wearing a modest, yet flattering outfit, even though working at a ladies’ clothing store gave her the opportunity to select some pretty outrageous stuff.

In all things, including clothes, Carol vacillated between the ridiculous and the sublime. Yet, working with Carol was fun—their little play-fights often drove the rest of the staff nuts. It worked fine for him because a casual friendship was as far as he would go in a relationship.

Lacey seemed to be in a serious relationship. She was buying her significant other a computer, indicating that both her heart and her pocketbook were heavily involved.

As he was tidying up for the end of the day, he nearly dropped a pager on the floor when Lacey suddenly appeared in front of him, as if his thoughts had become reality.

“Hi. I was wondering if you had time to talk.”

He unclipped his name badge and dropped it into his pocket. “It’s actually the end of my shift, but I don’t mind. In fact, the timing might even be good. If we go to the food court I can answer all your questions and we won’t have to worry about other people interrupting.”

“I heard that it’s standing-room-only in the food court right now. But if you don’t mind spending the time, we can go somewhere else to eat. I’ll treat, since it’s after working hours.”

“I…” Randy let his voice trail off. It had been a long time since he’d been out to dinner with a woman, but he didn’t feel right about having a woman pay.

He cleared his throat. “I have a better idea. I can write this off as a business expense, so let me pay. The only thing is that if we eat away from the mall, it will have to be walking distance.”

“You want to walk? But…” She blinked a few times, then said, “That’s fine, I don’t mind.”

Without warning, Carol joined them, grinning from ear to ear. She elbowed Randy in the ribs. “Are you two going somewhere?”

Randy stepped out of Carol’s reach. “Yes. We’re going out for dinner.”

Carol glanced back and forth between Lacey and Randy, then turned directly to Lacey. “How are you get ting there? Randy got his car towed away yesterday.”

Randy gritted his teeth and turned to Lacey. “The parking lot control people towed it away. I’m sure you heard about the way they’ve decided to start enforcing the ban on staff parking in the public parking lot.

“The towing bill was really expensive. So I have to leave my car at home. How did you get here?”

Lacey’s eyes widened. “Now I feel bad. When I took the job I was simply told it came with a parking spot. I didn’t realize that parking was such a problem. It’s okay. We can take my car. If you want, I can even give you a ride home.”

He hesitated. “Wait a minute. If you got a parking spot, that means you’re the store manager. I thought you were new.”

“I was the assistant manager at the downtown store, but the manager here quit with no notice last week, so they offered me a transfer, as long as I started immediately. Things are a big mess, but this is a good promotion, so I couldn’t turn it down.”

Randy shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound bitter about the parking. I’m still trying to convince myself that it’s for the best, because it’s cheaper for my insurance. But it sure does make it inconvenient.”

“Now I know why the rest of my staff take the bus.”

“I don’t take the bus. Ever. I used my inline skates to get here today. It was kind of fun, actually, but I may change my mind the next time it rains.” Randy paused to check his watch. “We should get going. I just have to get my stuff from the back, and we can leave.”

“…and then she told me her husband was a used car salesman!”

Randy nibbled on his lower lip, then allowed himself to laugh at his own joke, but only after Lacey laughed first.

Randy didn’t know why he couldn’t shut up. He shouldn’t have been nervous. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a woman out for dinner. This wasn’t a date. All he had to do was impress Lacey with his knowledge of computers, which was extensive. She didn’t have to know anything else about him. He didn’t even have to worry that she would want to—it was to his advantage that she already had someone.

He picked up his cup, wrapped his hands around it and rested his elbows on the table. “If I’d been thinking properly, I would have brought a catalog. In the store, all I do is point.”

“It’s okay. I know that you’ll help me pick the best one. I just want to make sure it’s a surprise.”

Randy sighed. Not only had no one ever given him a surprise birthday party, no one had ever given him an expensive gift. Of course, he didn’t expect such gifts from his friends. They routinely gave each other the standard guy-gifts—CD’s, tools, computer paraphernalia and, lately, music books. The biggest surprise was when it was wrapped.

His family had never given gifts. Not that they couldn’t afford them, they just never did. All his life he’d learned how to get by without asking or expecting anything. That way, he was never disappointed.

But lately, he’d seen the other side of the fence from his friends. Adrian had been thrilled at his latest birthday gift from Celeste, handmade mouse and keyboard covers that were cleverly made to look like a real mouse and a piece of cheese.

He focused back on Lacey. “Don’t worry. I can hold the computer of your choice in the store until the day before the party. That way you don’t have to worry about spoiling the surprise.” He smiled and tried to turn on his “salesman patter.” “You’ll get a surprise, too, with how good a deal I’m going to give you on this computer. I’ll even throw in a bunch of extras.”

Lacey smiled back weakly. “I honestly don’t know what’s standard. I’m just going to have to trust you.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t take advantage of you.”

“Just remember that if I do find out one day that you charged me too much, I’m right next door, all day, every day.”

Randy opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn’t know if she was teasing him, or if this really was some kind of warning. Either way, it intrigued him. The woman had guts, and he liked that.

He sipped his coffee, speaking over the rim of the cup. “You go right ahead and do all the comparison shopping you want. Then you’ll know how good a deal I’m going to give you.”

“That’s fine. And the next time you come in to buy more panty hose, I’ll do the same for you.”

Randy choked on his coffee, then lowered the cup to the saucer. “Now just a minute. Those weren’t for me, and I never…” His words trailed off when Lacey’s stifled giggles broke through.

“Gotcha,” she said from behind her coffee cup.

“Not funny,” he pretended to grumble, struggling not to laugh back. He suddenly became very serious. “I need to know one more thing, and that’s how much time you and…Bryce, was it? are going to spend together on it.”

Lacey looked puzzle. “Together? None. I frankly don’t see how some people spend hours and hours on the computer every day.”

Randy smiled. “I couldn’t be without my computer. Computers are my only source of income, so I have to keep up with all the latest and the greatest.” He grinned wryly. “Sometimes my online activities make me late for practice on Wednesday nights, but, of course, I’m never late for work.”

She stared blankly at him. Randy hadn’t meant to get so personal, but his computer and all that went with it had played a big part in his recovery.

“What is it you’re practicing? Are you in a league?” Lacey asked.

“Uh…” Randy felt his cheeks flush. “Actually, it’s not sports, it’s music, and it’s my friends who are really practicing, not me. When we first started I tried to learn to play keyboards from a book, but that went about as well as you might expect, so they found someone else to do it. But Celeste is phenomenal. Maybe even the best piano player I’ve ever met. So now I work the sound system and do all the computer stuff, which is right up my alley.”

She smiled. “That sounds like fun. Does your band have a CD out?”

Randy laughed. “No. It’s nothing like that. It’s just the worship team for church.”

“Just? Don’t say that. The worship team is important. I think it’s wonderful that you’re utilizing your talents. I wish I could do something like that, but I don’t seem to be good at anything besides sewing.”

“That’s a skill not everyone has. Maybe you can…” His voice trailed off. “Wait—you go to church?”

“Yes, I do.”

Randy smiled. “Great! Would you like to join me in a short prayer before we eat? It’s always awkward to ask that in work situations, or when you don’t know someone very well.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. I’d like that.”

Just at that moment, the waiter arrived with their meals. Randy led with a short prayer, and they began to eat.

“So, did you move to Appleton recently?”

“No. I live downtown, where I just rent an apartment. Now that I have the new job, I think I’m going to move closer to it. Do you live near the mall?”

“Yes. I grew up not far away from here. It seemed natural to get a job in the neighborhood, too.” More than that, his friend Bob knew Tom, the store owner. Because of Bob’s reference, Tom offered Randy a job when no one else would consider him. He’d been there ever since, which was coming up on six years. And now he was the assistant manager.

“I’ll never move. I live within two minutes of my friends, within five minutes of my church and ten minutes from my job.” He didn’t know why God blessed him like this, especially when he’d once blamed God for so much. But now his life was in order, and he didn’t intend to ever change a thing.

Randy dunked one of his fries in the blob of ketchup, coating it just right. “Where do you go to church, then, if you live downtown?”

Lacey smiled, and her eyes turned dreamy as she spoke. “Every Sunday morning I drive back to the west end where I grew up and go with my family, and we spend the day together.”

Randy nodded. He spent a lot of time at church, but it was with his friends. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his family. Usually it didn’t bother him, but today, watching Lacey smile at her private thoughts, it reminded him of the big hole in his life. For the past few years he’d been so busy with his friends that he hadn’t really noticed, but now that Adrian and Celeste were married and Bob was getting married, Randy had more time on his hands. Still, God always found things for him to do, and Randy couldn’t complain. “Lately I’ve been going to both the morning and evening services because I’m on the worship team, so that keeps me pretty busy on Sundays. It’s sometimes a lot of work, but at the same time, it’s also fun. And speaking of fun, I should tell you a little about the sidewalk sale that’s coming up at work next week. Or rather, I should warn you.”

Lacey’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. “Warn me?”

“You can see some really funny things with bargain hunters. There’s this one couple who always show up, and one of them always wears a disguise, as if we can’t recognize him. I hear everyone’s already making bets to see what he’s going to do this year. Last year, the guy pretended to be a rich Texan—big hat, the drawl, everything. He even pasted on a fake mustache. You could tell it was fake because it was a different color than his hair, and it was crooked. It was hilarious.” Randy grinned, remembering Carol’s reaction when the man called her “L’il lady.” He really thought Carol was going to kick him.

Randy sobered. “Seriously, though, you’ve got to watch out for them. He tries to distract the staff person at one end of the table while his partner, who is dressed normally, tries to steal something from the other end.” He leaned forward over the table, and Lacey leaned forward in response.

“She always puts smaller items in her bra so no one will challenge her to put them back. But last year when I caught her and started calling the cops on my cell phone, she dug everything out real fast and ran.”

Lacey gasped. “You’re kidding!”

“I wish I was.” Randy straightened. “But most of the time, the sidewalk sale is a lot of fun.”

Lacey glanced from side to side. “Have you noticed that we’re nearly the only ones here? I think we lost track of the time.”

Randy looked around, confirming that she was indeed correct.

“Yeah. I guess we should go.”

While he signaled the waiter for the bill, a strange sense of loss came over him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself so much. He was at an age where most of the women he knew were sizing him up for a husband, so those situations quickly became awkward. God had shown him that he wasn’t husband material, and he never would be.

But Lacey was marriage material. Randy couldn’t help but think that her boyfriend was indeed one lucky man. Tonight, Randy had thoroughly enjoyed himself, but for tonight he was on borrowed time, and the lender had called in the loan. It was time to go home.

When she dropped him off in front of his apartment building, a surge of melancholy for what could never happen coursed through him.

Once inside, instead of settling down, Randy walked to the patio door to his balcony and looked out the window. They’d stayed at the restaurant so long that it was dark, and all the city lights were on. His suite faced downtown, so he had a good view from the seventeenth floor.

Randy stepped out onto the balcony to take in the city below. He couldn’t make out specific details, but he could see the brightly colored lights of the mall in the distance.

He gazed over the expanse of the city, paying particular attention to the high-rise towers in the downtown core, wondering which building was Lacey’s.

Chapter Two

“I’ll be back in two hours, Kate,” Lacey called as she stepped into the mall.

As she began walking toward the mall center, Lacey glanced into the computer store on her way past, but she didn’t see Randy at work.

Randy.

Being out with him had almost felt like a date, except it wasn’t. He was only helping her select the right computer for Bryce. Yet, after going out with him only once, she couldn’t help but like him. In fact, he was almost too good to be real.

Lacey had learned the hard way that when something seemed too good to be true, it usually was.

She pushed thoughts of the charming salesman out of her head as she continued walking toward the mall’s feature display of the week. The police department had set up a display to raise public awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving and Lacey had volunteered to help give out information at the booth.

Drunk driving had ruined her family and she didn’t want to see it happen to anyone else.

Lacey didn’t remember her father being a heavy drinker, but at the time, her perspective had been that of a child. Most of his drinking would have been at night, after she had been put to bed. Most of her memories of her father were good, doing typical family things together. Usually their family was happy, but she did remember her parents arguing after her father had been out with his friends. She remembered him acting rather strangely when he came home, but she hadn’t known why. The only thing she knew then about her father’s drinking was that he “went out for a drink” with his friends after work on paydays. On paydays, he always came home acting more strangely than other days.

It was on one payday that her father never came home again.

Because he died in an accident that he’d caused, and because he’d been drunk, no insurance would pay on the policy—not the auto insurance, nor the life insurance, and there was no life insurance on the mortgage. Slowly and painfully, over the next year, their home was foreclosed on, their savings were eroded and their extended family was torn apart. As she grew up, Lacey’s most vivid memories were of her mother, crying, all alone, after she thought that Lacey and her brother and sister were sleeping.

Lacey didn’t want the same thing to happen to anyone else, yet she saw it happening to Susan, her sister. No matter what Lacey said or did, she couldn’t get Susan’s husband, Eric, to see the risk he was creating for his family, and that if he died, the same thing would happen. Eric also wasn’t taking into account the strangers who would be innocent victims if he continued on his path to self-destruction.

Eric insisted that he wasn’t a serious drinker because he didn’t drink every day. He often accused Lacey of trying to cause trouble between himself and Susan. Eric didn’t know about the countless times Susan had called her in the middle of the night, worried because Eric still hadn’t come home when she knew he was out drinking with his friends. On other days, Susan said she shouldn’t have let the moment get to her, that Eric’s drinking wasn’t that bad.

Since those whom she loved wouldn’t listen, the only thing Lacey could do was to try to help strangers.

As Lacey approached the display, a police officer was talking to the volunteer who would be working with her, as well as a woman who was packing up a few things, ready to leave.

Lacey’s breath caught when she saw who she was to be her partner for the next hour.

“Randy. Hello.”

The officer smiled at her. “I see you two already know each other. That’s great. I’ll leave Randy to show you what to do, and I’ll get back to my area.” He returned to the Breathalyzer and other equipment that was only for police use, leaving her alone with Randy.

Randy smiled as he wrote up a name tag for her. “We’re supposed to split our time between pointing out different focus areas for people who try out and keeping the tables tidy, putting new brochures into the displays as people take them and just smiling and looking friendly.”

Lacey nodded. “I can certainly do that. It’s nice to see you volunteering your time.”

“It’s not really such a sacrifice. I have personal reasons for being here. A good friend was killed in a drinking-and-driving accident a few years back, and I want to do what I can to raise awareness. I know a lot of people, so maybe someone will recognize me and come and ask questions.”

“Oh.” Lacey’s throat constricted. The only person killed in her father’s accident had been her father, but she often lay awake at night, wondering if he’d ever caused an accident he either didn’t know about, or wouldn’t admit to, when someone swerved to avoid him. She didn’t want to think that there could be, but she had to accept that it might have happened. It was too long ago to have been a connection between the death of her father and the death of Randy’s friend, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t happened to someone else.

The possibility made her even more angry at how some people could be so irresponsible, both with their own lives, and of the lives of others around them.

She rested one finger on the schedule. “There are still a few slots not filled. I want to put my name down for another shift. What about you?”

He nodded. “I’m on the list for Saturday because that’s the mall’s busiest day.”

“But you’re off on Saturday, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. That way I can be here for more than just the length of my lunch break.”

Guilt raced through Lacey. She should have been giving up more of her time, too, but she had set Saturday aside to prepare for Bryce’s party. Now, thinking that all she was doing was getting ready to do something fun, she felt selfish.

As she had been instructed, she began to tidy the piles of brochures, when a young couple entered the area. The woman approached her and asked for help to find a brochure that contained recipes for nonalcoholic punch. Lacey pointed to the Alternatives section and stepped aside.

While she waited, the young man approached Randy.

“Can you tell her that coffee is good enough, that she doesn’t have to make something without alcohol for people?”

Randy’s hands froze above the display he was rearranging. “That’s a very common myth, but it’s not true. Coffee doesn’t make a person sober up, neither does food. If you have something in your stomach you don’t get drunk so fast, but you still get just as drunk. The only thing that sobers a person up is time.”

The young man blinked. “That’s not true. Coffee works.”

Randy shook his head. “No. Coffee won’t sober you up. It just makes you a wide-awake drunk. Caffeine is a stimulant. It’s the stimulant that makes you think you’re more sober than you actually are.”

“That’s not true, man. I know it works.”

Lacey glanced toward the young woman to make sure she didn’t need any more help, then stepped closer to the two men. She, too, had always believed that drinking coffee would help a person to sober up. She’d been with Susan often, helping to make coffee so it would be ready for when Eric got home after an evening of being out with his friends.

The only thing wrong with that scenario was that Eric had already driven home by the time he started drinking the coffee.

Randy pulled out one of the brochures and handed it to the young man. “Sorry, but the only thing about coffee that sobers you up is the time it takes to drink it. Water does the same, except it doesn’t make you need to go to the bathroom as much, and it doesn’t leave you hyper.”

The young man slapped the brochure onto the table without opening it. “I don’t need this propaganda.”

Randy picked up a pen, scribbled something on the brochure, then handed it back. “Then check out this coffee manufacturer’s Web site or check out a few search engines. Everything will tell you the same thing. If your guests drink, have a designated driver, or be a responsible host and budget money for cab fare. In some states, the host may be held legally responsible if their guests drive home drunk and have an accident.”

The young man froze. “What?”

Randy crossed his arms over his chest. “Think about it.”

The young man stepped back, and stomped to the lady he’d arrived with. She quickly picked out one of every brochure in the row, and the two of them hurried away.

Lacey stared at Randy. “How do you know all that stuff?”

“I just do.”

She waited for him to say more, but he didn’t.

“Randy, I was wondering—”

Behind her, a middle-aged man entered the display area, cutting off her question.

“Excuse me. I was wondering if you could tell me some information about roadside suspensions.”

Randy pointed to the police officer who was on the other side of the display area. “He’s the man to ask about legal matters.”

The man backed up a step. “No way. I’m not asking the police. I’m only asking about it for a friend.”

From the looks of the man’s bloodshot eyes, Lacey found that highly unlikely.

“I really can’t comment,” Randy said, “but if you want to know at what point blood alcohol levels result in a roadside suspension, you can read these brochures.”

Randy picked brochures off a number of piles, gathered them together, then offered the man one specifically on suspensions.

Lacey’s throat tightened. Roadside suspensions were much more common today than when she was a child. If her father’s license had been suspended, he might still be alive, and her life would have been very different.

The man reached out and accepted all of the pamphlets.

Randy stepped back and tapped a picture of a man in a jail cell, presumably the drunk tank. “But before you think of the legal ramifications, you should think about what it would be like to be without your car. After court, a twenty-four-hour suspension could go further, resulting in a driving prohibition, plus a fine, depending on the severity of the offence and prior records. If that happened, how would you get to work? What would you say to people who asked why you always needed a ride wherever you went? You’d have to worry about increased insurance premiums once you get your license back, on top of all that. Ask yourself if it’s worth it to have a few drinks before getting into the car.”

The man’s face paled and he dropped all the brochures but one. “I’ll tell my friend that,” he muttered, turned and walked away.

“Wow,” Lacey exclaimed. “You’re good here. No wonder you’re doing this. You know so much.”

“Yeah,” Randy said quickly, then spun around and began to straighten out the brochures the man with the bloodshot eyes had dropped.

Lacey stepped closer. “All I was going to do was smile and hand out brochures. You’re really getting up close and personal. You’re having quite an effect on people.”

“It’s a gift,” Randy mumbled, not looking up at her.

She stared at him as he continued to tidy up piles she thought were quite straight enough.

She knew Randy was very inconvenienced being unable to take his car to work due to the increased parking security, and it impressed her that he was using that knowledge and experience in a constructive way.

Unless he knew so much about having a driver’s license suspended from more personal experience….

Lacey shook her head at the wayward direction of her thoughts. The concept that Randy could ever have had his license suspended because of drinking was preposterous. They had been out together for supper at a restaurant where alcoholic drinks were readily available, and the issue hadn’t even come up. Randy was also a committed Christian, active in his church. The only reason he didn’t have his car was because of the new parking regulations.

Which reminded her that Randy currently needed transportation.

Lacey spoke quickly, before someone else came to browse at the display. “Would you like a ride home again tonight?”

He smiled hesitantly.

Lacey’s foolish heart fluttered.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.”

“Maybe we can do dinner again and talk more about Bryce’s computer? I don’t want to wait until the last minute and run out of time.”

“Sure. We can do that.”

“Then I’ll see you at five.”

The new volunteer arrived at the booth, right on time, ending their conversation. Randy waved to the police officer at the other end to signal his pending departure, and turned back to Lacey.

“See you later,” he said, and walked away.

Adrian Braithwaite unplugged the cord from between his guitar and the amp, wound it, fastened the Velcro strap and tossed it into the bin.

“You were late today,” he said as he watched Randy unplug another cord and do the same. “I thought you were going to be early. I even bought extra doughnuts.”

“I can’t take my car to work anymore.”

“That didn’t really answer my question.”

“You didn’t ask a question.”

Adrian waited for Randy to say more, but Randy didn’t elaborate. Not only did he not elaborate, Randy didn’t come up with a hundred and one farfetched excuses, nor did he respond with a lame joke. He was also very busy cleaning up instead of hiding in the kitchen eating the extra half a box of doughnuts while everyone else put everything away.

Something wasn’t right. And Adrian was going to find out what it was.

“Then how did you get to work?”

“I’ve been using my inline skates.”

Adrian frowned. “Really? Why didn’t you just take the bus? Oh, wait.” Adrian paused, remembering incidents from their younger days when he, Bob, Randy and their other friend Paul had taken the bus on many of their excursions. He couldn’t count the times they all had to disembark in a hurry because Randy had to go throw up, even when they sat in the front while they traveled to their chosen destination of the day. Randy’s parents laughed it off, but Bob’s mother always came to give them a ride whenever Randy couldn’t get back on the bus after being so violently sick.

“You don’t still get motion sickness, do you? I can see using the skates to get to the mall, but it’s quite an uphill journey back. How do you get home? Do you walk?” Walking home from work would explain why Randy was late, but not why Randy was being so evasive about it. He looked out the window to Randy’s car parked on the street. “You’ve got your car now.”

“I got a ride home, and I took my own car from there.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. But if you got a ride, how in the world could you have been late?”

Randy’s movements quickened as he turned the levels on the sound board down to zero, and began unplugging the unit. “Because we went out for dinner before she took me home,” Randy told him, barely audible.

Adrian nearly dropped the microphone in his hand. “She? You mean, like a woman?”

Randy tossed another neatly wrapped cord into the bin with far more force than was necessary. “No. A dog drove me home. What do you think?”

“You don’t have to get so sarcastic. I was only asking.” He moved in closer to Randy. “What’s she like?”

Randy dragged one hand down his face. “She’s different than any woman I’ve ever met before. Funny, but not by telling jokes…she’s witty. Smart. Unbelievably organized. Modest, if people use words like that anymore. I haven’t known her for more than a few days, but I feel good being with her. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it. I keep thinking about her. I don’t know what it is. For the past couple of days, we’ve started out talking about computers, but then we end up talking about something else, and we have a lot of fun. So much fun that it will almost be worth it when her boyfriend shows up and punches my lights out.”

Adrian blinked. “Boyfriend? If she’s got a boyfriend, what are you doing going out with her?”

Using his toes, Randy pushed at a guitar pick lying on the carpet. “I’m not really going out with her. She’s buying him a computer for his birthday, and she has a lot of questions, so we’ve been going out for dinner, just to talk. I also don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth when she offers me a ride, because then I don’t have to kill myself skating home.”

“If she’s got a boyfriend, regardless of the reason you’re getting together, it must be pretty awkward.”

Randy turned toward Adrian. “You want to hear awkward? She’s invited me to his birthday party.”

“Are you going?”

“Yeah. She asked me to put the computer together for him. It’s a surprise.”

Adrian winced. “And you’re okay with that?”

“No, but I don’t have any choice. She said she’ll give me a ride home every day this week, and I have to return the favor.”

Memories flooded Adrian of his initial contacts with his wife, Celeste. In hindsight, he could now see how much she’d affected him, and it had all happened so quickly. Adrian wanted to caution Randy about the same thing, because he knew how Randy felt about relationships, especially with his background. But before he could figure out how to put the words together, Randy stood up.

“Adrian, I feel really tired all of a sudden. I think whatever is happening with this woman is getting to me, and I can’t let that happen. I’m going to go home and read my Bible for a little while, and then I should see if anyone from my chat group is online. I need to talk to someone.”

Before Adrian had a chance to volunteer to talk to Randy in person instead of having Randy go to his online support group, Randy turned around and left.

Without first stopping in the kitchen and raiding the doughnuts.

“Uh-oh…” Adrian said as he heard Randy’s car squeal off in the distance.

“I can’t talk now, Mom. I’m at work. But I have a price for the computer.”

Lacey nodded at another customer who entered the store, made a few quick calculations, then whispered the figures to her mother.

“Will you be going out with that young man after work again?”

Lacey’s fingers froze over the calculator. “Probably.”

“How well do you know him? I mean, really know him?”

“Uh…not a lot….”

“You’ve already bought the computer so you don’t need to see him again. Just be careful.”

Lacey gulped. She knew what her mother meant. Her family had a history of making bad choices when it came to men, from her father to her brother-in-law. Lacey was very likely to follow her mother’s and her sister’s patterns—it was obviously in her genes. And that was why Lacey had decided that she would never get married.

“I will.” Lacey hung up the phone, but instead of returning to her work, her hand stayed on the phone as she stared at the wall. The wall between her store and the computer store. Randy was on the other side of that wall.

She knew she didn’t have to see him again, but she would anyway. She really hadn’t needed to invite him to Bryce’s party to set up the computer, either.

The only reason she was continuing to see him was because he needed a ride.

If there was anything she’d learned from all her hardships growing up, it was the pain of what it was like to do without. When she started going to church and the people there discovered the financial plight of her family, many stepped in to help. Their out-pouring of kindness, help and financial assistance was the first thing that opened her heart, as well as the hearts of her family, to God’s love. At times it was humiliating to take charity. But it was also a lesson in how to accept graciously, as well as how to give sacrificially.

That was why she wanted to give Randy a ride home every day. Simply because he needed it. There was no other reason. Really.

She jerked her hand away from the phone and continued with her task of checking inventory for the sidewalk sale, but she was soon interrupted by a customer.

The woman closed her eyes briefly and inhaled deeply as she slid a pair of earrings toward the cash register. “It’s really hot out there. It must be so nice to work in here, where it’s air-conditioned.”

Lacey sighed. “Maybe, but I’m missing out on one of the last really hot days of the summer. It’s different when you don’t have a choice.”

The woman shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself.”

After the woman left, the comment about the hot weather outside stuck on Lacey like a burr. When the rush died down, she retrieved her lunch from the fridge and called out to Kate, “I’m going to take my break outside. I’ll see you in half an hour.”

Lacey smiled at the blast of heat as she stepped outside and headed straight for the small park next door. A gazebo sheltered people from the hot sun, and beside the gazebo, a patch of trees provided shade, where a number of people were sitting or lying on blankets. Blankets weren’t her thing, but half an hour of sunshine sure was.

On the other side of the park a few benches lined the sidewalk, which was beside a small bed of flowers. Unlike the gazebo and the area under the trees, the benches were vacant because they were in the full sun.

Lacey headed for the benches.

Everything was fairly quiet, until the sound of a soft, clattery rumble began. She turned her head to see a lone man on inline skates approaching from the other side of the park.

She recognized the man, even from the distance.

Since he was coming quite fast, Lacey moved to the side of the path so he could pass without difficulty.

“Hi, Randy,” she said as he whizzed past.

The noise of the skates on the cement sidewalk stopped instantly. Lacy spun around, expecting to see Randy lying on the ground. Her heart pounded as she watched him, running on the grass, slowing his speed until he came to a stop. He turned around, stepped back onto the sidewalk and skated back to her.

“Lacey? What are you doing out here?” He switched the box he was carrying to his other hand and checked his watch.

She held up her lunch bag. “I’m taking a late break. What are you doing out here at this hour?”

He held out the box and grinned. “I missed my doughnuts last night, so I went to the doughnut shop on my coffee break.”

“You couldn’t get a doughnut in the mall?”

He shook his head. “These are special. You can’t get these in the mall.” He opened the box, displaying a half-dozen specialty Boston Cremes. “Want one? They’re my favorite.”

She reached forward, then froze before she actually touched one. “I shouldn’t. I haven’t had my lunch yet.”

“It’s okay. I promise not to tell your mother that you had your dessert before the main course.”

Lacey’s stomach churned. She still wasn’t sure that she wanted to introduce him to her mother, but by inviting him to Bryce’s party, she’d opened herself up to her mother’s justifiable curiosity.

Grinning, Randy held the box out, and winked. Lacey’s fingers trembled as she reached into the box. “Speaking of my mother and the party, I still haven’t figured out how to get you into the house early enough to set everything up before everyone else gets there.”

“I don’t know, either,” Randy mumbled as he bit into one of the doughnuts. “All I do know is that I won’t be available until after eleven-thirty, because that’s when my church’s service ends.”

“Really? My church ends the service at noon.” Lacey’s mind raced and she stiffened, steeling her courage in order to ask her question. “How about if I go to church with you? Then we could be back at Mom’s house half an hour earlier than everyone else. Would that be enough time to set up the computer for Bryce? That’s about the amount of time I’ll need to do the food.”

“Yeah. It would,” Randy said around the doughnut sticking out his mouth, keeping it clenched between his teeth as he closed the lid of the box and tried to press the tape back down. Unable to make the tape stick, he grasped the doughnut again and took it out of his mouth so he could speak. “I’ve been thinking. What is Bryce going to say when he sees me with you at his birthday party? Do you think he’ll be okay with that?”

Lacey nodded and hurried to swallow her bite of the pastry. “Of course he’ll be fine with it. In fact, I’m almost sure that the two of you will spend quite a bit of time together with the computer, after all the excitement dies down a bit.”

Randy’s eyes widened, and he continued to pick at the tape. “Oh,” he muttered.

Lacey waited for him to say more, but he remained silent.

“If you’re worried that you won’t know anyone there, it’s okay. Everyone is all friends and family. Besides, I’m sure once Bryce discovers what you do for a living, he’ll hog you to himself all day. Please don’t be shy.”

For an almost indiscernible second, Randy stiffened. Lacey almost wanted to smile, except she was still too nervous. Despite her words, even though she hadn’t known him that long, she suspected the last thing anyone could ever accuse Randy of was being shy.

“I guess,” he mumbled. “I really should go. It was faster going on the skates than walking, but I think I’ve used up my fifteen minutes, and I don’t want to be late getting back to work. I guess I’ll see you Sunday.”

“Sure. What time should I pick you up?”

Randy had begun to push off, but he stopped and spun around. “If you’re going to my church, then I think good manners dictate that I should pick you up. After all, you’re going to be my guest. It’s just that I have to be there an hour early in order to set up the sound system for the worship team.”

“That’s fine. I don’t mind. Would you like a ride home again tonight? You’re pretty good on those skates, but it is a long way uphill. I can give my address and directions after work. Maybe over dinner?”

“I…” Randy’s voice trailed off, and eventually, he nodded. “Sure. That would be great.”

“Good. I’ll see you at five o’clock.” Because he’d sounded hesitant, Lacey turned and started walking toward the bench, not waiting for his reply.

She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she wouldn’t have been able to bear it if he had said no.

Chapter Three

“What does this button do?”

“Uh…Lacey… Please don’t touch that.”

Lacey yanked her hand away.

“Thanks,” Randy muttered as he held one of the earpieces of the headphones up to his ear with one hand, and adjusted another setting with the other.

While Randy adjusted knobs and buttons, Lacey watched his friends on the worship team practice. They were easy to see from the height of the sound booth, which was in a raised room at back of the sanctuary, recessed into the back wall.

“Okay, I’ve got everything set.” Randy put the headphones down on the table beside the very complex-looking soundboard, and gave the worship team a thumbs-up signal. “Now we sit back and wait for the service to begin. I’ll have to make a few adjustments as the room fills up, but this is pretty much it.”

“I’ve never thought about what happens behind the scenes on Sunday mornings. This is actually quite interesting.”

“The same things happen at every church, every Sunday, including yours. Speaking of your church, you think anyone will miss you?”

Lacey shrugged her shoulders. “No, and Mom thinks it’s perfect. When Bryce and mom left this morning, the house would have looked normal. Since we’ll be able to get back so much earlier we can let everyone in to hide without anyone having to rush. When Mom and Bryce finally get back, Bryce will really be surprised.”

Randy stiffened and blinked. “Bryce lives with your mother?”

Lacey turned to him. “For now, but he’s going to move into the dormitory for his last year of university. Mom’s already started complaining about how much he eats, and saying how good it will be that he’s moving out, but we both know that she’ll be lonely without him. Of course he’ll move back home when he’s done with classes, but who knows for how long? I don’t think it will take him long to get a job. He’ll probably work for a while to pay off his student loans, and then move out when he’s financially stable. Maybe he’ll even get married. Mom says he’s been getting a lot of calls from a woman lately.”

She expected Randy to make some kind of comment, but he was strangely silent. His eyes visibly widened, and he stared at her.

She couldn’t figure out what he thought was strange about her story, although she couldn’t really remember talking to him previously about her mother, or about Bryce. Of all the things they’d talked about, family was something that had never entered a conversation, hers or his. She’d even had the impression that he avoided the topic. Thinking about it now made her suddenly curious.

“I guess I didn’t tell you. My dad died when we were kids. My sister is older than me, and she’s been married for a while. I moved out when I got the job downtown. So now it’s just Bryce and Mom left at the house.”

“I’m so sorry. Not about your brother. About your dad. That must have been awful.”

Lacey swallowed hard. She’d almost told him about it at the booth in the mall, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk about it then. With the church service about to start soon, she didn’t want to talk about it now, either. Yet she knew she had to tell him something, so he wouldn’t accidentally upset her mother by saying the wrong thing, not knowing what had happened.

She lowered her gaze to the floor. “When he died, he left Mom with three small kids. We had a lot of struggles but we made it, with a lot of help. After Bryce finished high school he worked for a couple of years, then managed to get a student loan for university. He’s been living at home, but Mom sees how hard the commute is, so she told him that for this last year, he should stay in the dorm. It’s going to be best for Bryce, but hard on my mom. When Bryce moves out next week, Mom’s going to be all alone for the first time. She’s devoted her life to us kids.”

Randy cleared his throat. “So you must be older than, uh, your brother?”

“Yes. I’m three years older than Bryce, and two years younger than Susan. Are you okay? Your voice sounds funny. Are you coming down with a cold?”

He cleared his throat again and touched his fingertips to his neck. “No. I think I just have a frog in my throat. I’m fine.”

Lacey tipped her head to the side. “I probably should have said something sooner, but we never seem to talk about family.”

His whole body stiffened. “I don’t have much to tell. I didn’t live with my parents all the time. I sometimes lived at my best friend’s parents’ house.” He turned and began to play with some of the settings on the soundboard.

She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t.

Despite his claim that there wasn’t much to tell, Lacey suspected there was. She turned toward the sanctuary, which was starting to fill up. “Are any of them here? Can I meet them?”

“Unfortunately, my parents don’t go to church, and Bob’s parents don’t go here. They go to the church across from the arena, where I used to go, as well. The associate pastor from there, along with Bob, Adrian, Paul and I, and a small group of other people, started this church. We’ve come a long way from twenty-seven people, don’t you think?”

“Wow. I’m impressed.”

“It’s God’s work, not mine, or anyone else’s in the ministry team.”

The worship team stopped playing and left the stage and Randy switched to a CD, setting it to play softly in the background.

“Are you going to join your friends? I mean, at my church, the worship team always prays before the service.”

“Usually I would, but I don’t want to leave you here all alone.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Go pray with your friends.”

He turned to go, paused and then left.

While Randy was gone, Lacey watched as the sanctuary continued to fill up.

Even though it was her first time here, she felt comfortable. But that shouldn’t have been a surprise. It appeared that Randy hadn’t had a happy childhood, yet he had settled into a niche that was good for him. He’d found good friends, a good church, and he was happy.

Lacey smiled. Randy was more than just happy; she thoroughly enjoyed his offbeat sense of humor.

The past few days she found that she could hardly wait for the end of the day so she could see Randy again.

Her smile dropped. After the party was over, she wouldn’t have any reason to see Randy. Unless, of course, she continued to give him a ride home every day.

Lacey’s heart began to pound.

If she had been trying to tell herself that she wasn’t attracted to Randy, she was only deluding herself. She did like him, and she was starting to like him a lot. But she needed to find out more about him, including how he felt about her.

“I’m back. Did you miss me?”

She had missed him, but she didn’t want to admit it, so she merely shrugged her shoulders.

He grinned. “Good. I missed you, too.”

Lacey quickly sent up a prayer of thanks to God for the answer to one of the questions she hadn’t yet dared to ask.

Randy flipped a switch, and a screen floated down. He flipped another switch and hit a few buttons on a computer beside the soundboard, and the words to the first worship song appeared.

Lacey focused her attention on the screen, and pushed all other thoughts out of her mind.

This was not the time to think about what might happen between herself and Randy. She was at church and she was there to set some time aside to worship God, not think about her personal life.

But after the party maybe, just maybe, she would have her answers.

“Surprise!”

Lacey watched Bryce’s face pale, then turn ten shades of red. All their friends and family laughed, then broke out into applause. Beside him, their mother squealed with delight.

“We did it,” Lacey whispered to Randy. “Look at him! He’s really surprised.”

“I think he’s past surprised. He’s gone into shock.”

Lacey ran forward and gave her brother a big hug, which made everyone in the room cheer and applaud even more.

“I don’t know what to say,” Bryce admitted as he glanced back and forth at the room full of people.

Following her example, their niece and nephew, Kaitlyn and Shawn, also ran forward. Kaitlyn leaped into Bryce’s arms.

“Happy birthday, Uncle Bryce!” Kaitlyn squealed with glee. “We all gots you a surprise!”

Bryce smiled and gave Kaitlyn a hug. “Yes, I’m sure surprised,” he said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

Lacey removed Kaitlyn from Bryce’s arms and set her on the floor. “Go see your mom, okay, Kaitlyn?” she whispered, then took Bryce by the hand and pulled him in the direction of his bedroom.

“What are you doing?” His voice lowered. “Everyone is following us. I didn’t make my bed this morning.”

Lacey barely suppressed a giggle. “Don’t worry. The next surprise is that I made your bed for you. Just don’t expect it to ever happen again.”

That said, she shuffled behind him, and gave him a gentle nudge into the room, where Randy had set up the new computer on Bryce’s desk. On the monitor, the multicolored message “Happy Birthday!” rolled across the screen.

Bryce’s mouth dropped open. “What have you done?”

“Happy birthday!” everyone chorused behind him.

As Bryce disappeared from her side to go to the desk, Randy shuffled in to take Bryce’s place beside her.

Bryce picked up the large card, which Randy had set on top of the keyboard, and opened it. While Bryce read the card and responded to everyone as he read their comments, more people continued to squeeze into the small bedroom to watch.

The more the room filled up, the closer she and Randy had to move together, until he was pressed into her from her shoulder to her knee.

She looked up to his face to see if she could judge his response. Almost as if he could sense her movement, he turned his head and looked down at her.

His voice lowered to a husky whisper. “Hi,” he muttered, and at the same moment as he spoke, his fingers intertwined with hers, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Lacey blushed. She didn’t know what to do, and she didn’t know if they should be holding hands, but she didn’t want to let go. She also had to accept his action as a signal that something was happening between them, and that he felt the same way she did.

The room quieted as Bryce lowered the card. “Thank you, everyone. I don’t know what to say.”

Everyone started talking at the same time, offering their suggestions, mostly about taking turns using the new computer.

Lacey raised herself on her tiptoes and leaned toward Randy so he could hear her. “Do you want to show him how to work everything?”

He leaned back down to reply. “It’s just a standard computer. He’ll know what to do. I’ll help him set up his e-mail and configure the settings later, when he’s not the center of attention.”

“I don’t know. He looks a little flustered.”

Bryce chose that moment to look directly at Lacey. His lost expression made up her mind. She tightened her grip on Randy’s hand and led him a few steps forward, until they were standing beside the chair where Bryce sat.

“Bryce, this is Randy. He’s the one who helped me buy the computer.”

Bryce stood. As he caught a glimpse of their joined hands, he raised his eyebrows. He looked up and shook Randy’s free hand. “That must have been a challenge. Lacey is afraid of computers.”

“Am not,” Lacey retorted.

Bryce looked at her, but spoke to Randy. “She is.”

Randy grinned. “But she’s learning.”

Lacey released Randy’s hand and stepped back. “I should go help in the kitchen. Everyone is probably starving.” She pressed through the crowd and hurried to the kitchen, where her mother and her sister were busily removing the canapés from the oven and setting them on serving platters.

“Mom. Susan. It looks like we’re almost ready. Things are going really well.”

Her mother stopped fussing with the food, and straightened. “He was so surprised! And there are so many more people here than I expected. This is wonderful. But this means there are more people to feed.”

That so many had been invited was no surprise to Lacey. The rented home was small, the furnishings were worn, but everyone was always welcome, and her mother had a habit of being generous when inviting people for a celebration that involved food.

There had been many times in their family’s history when God had provided for them when they couldn’t provide for themselves. Now that their family was doing better, her mother did her best to provide for others, despite her humble means.

Lacey swept one hand through the air, above the table, which was covered with trays of food. “You still have enough for double the amount of people here. I don’t know why you do this.”

Her mother grinned, and reached into the oven for the second tray. “I can’t let anyone go home hungry.”

Lacey turned to Susan, who was pressing the candles into the cake. “I was thinking about putting the cake in the middle of the dining room table, but I don’t know if there will be enough room.”

Susan spoke without raising her head. “I’ve al ready moved the centerpiece. It’s fine.”

Lacey froze. Susan’s voice had been too quiet, and too controlled. Added to the fact that Susan hadn’t looked at her when she spoke, it gave Lacey a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger.

“Susan, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Susan answered quietly without looking up, which was all the answer Lacey needed. Something was definitely wrong, and it could only be something to do with Eric.

Lacey struggled to remember if she’d seen Eric in the crowd. She hadn’t.

Lacey helped carry the food into the dining room. Her mother called everyone to eat, and after one of the men from her church paused for a prayer of thanks, the guests descended on the food like a swarm of locusts.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lacey noticed that Bryce and Randy filled their plates quickly and quietly, then disappeared back into the bedroom together.

Since they were obviously occupied, Lacey returned to the kitchen, where she found Susan, sitting at the table with her head bowed, picking more than she was eating.

Lacey sat beside Susan, speaking quietly and softly. “What’s wrong?”

Susan pushed at a mushroom cap with her fork. “Same ol’, same ol’,” she grumbled.

What was wrong didn’t take much imagination. Eric had obviously been drinking again, and done something to hurt Susan. The only unknown was that Lacey didn’t know if this time he’d spent too much money, dipping into the mortgage money to buy drinks for his friends at the bar, if he’d damaged the car, if he’d done something to hurt Susan’s feelings or all of the above. Since it was the weekend, it wasn’t likely that he’d lost another job because of his uncontrollable drinking habits. Unless he’d been out with his supervisor and started a fight with him.

Lacey didn’t want to ask, so she remained silent. She only wanted to be there for Susan, regardless of what Eric had done.

Susan started to sniffle, but she didn’t raise her head. “Do you remember Grampa’s old violin?”

“Yes. Especially when he used to put on that old hat and play those funny songs, just to amuse us. But I also remember times he played those sad, haunting melodies. I’ve never heard anyone play a violin like Grampa.”

Susan sniffled again. “You know that I’ve got his violin, right?”

Lacey nodded, her stomach dropping.

“I had it in the china cabinet, so when the kids are old enough to appreciate it, maybe they might take lessons.”

“That’s a sweet idea.”

A big, fat tear rolled down Susan’s cheek. “I don’t know why he did it, but Eric took the violin out of the cabinet this afternoon. I knew he’d been drinking, so I told him to put it back. He just laughed and started fooling around with it, pretending he was playing it. But it slipped out of his hands, bounced off the coffee table and then he accidentally stepped on it.” More tears flowed down Susan’s cheeks; a few dripped onto her plate of untouched food.

Lacey’s gut clenched. “Can it be fixed?”

“I don’t know. Even if it can, we don’t have that kind of money right now. Then, when Eric saw how upset I was, he got mad at me. He said I was trying to make him feel guilty. I told him it wasn’t his fault.” Susan sniffled again. “But he didn’t calm down. We had a big fight in front of the children, and I said a few things that I now regret. That’s something I told myself would never happen.”

Lacey held back telling Susan that regrets or not, whatever she had said was probably right. Lacey also wanted to tell Susan that Eric was never going to change, but that wasn’t quite true. Eric had changed in the past ten years. Every year he became steadily worse.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I can’t take it anymore. I think I’m going to go to counseling.”

Lacey leaned across the table and rested her hand on Susan’s arm. “That’s good, but you’re not the one who needs counseling. It’s Eric.”

“He won’t go. He says he doesn’t have a problem. He says he can quit anytime he wants.”

Lacey bit her tongue. She couldn’t count the number of times Eric had quit drinking, but it was exactly the same number of times he’d fallen off the wagon. And every time it was Susan who landed with a thud. His drinking was ruining Susan’s life and their marriage. It wasn’t good for their two children, either.

A couple of verses from Proverbs 23 that her mother had quoted when Susan had said she was going to marry Eric once again echoed through Lacey’s head.

Do not gaze at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup,

when it goes down smoothly!

In the end it bites like a snake

and poisons like a viper.

Indeed, Eric had poisoned his life, and he was poisoning the lives of his family. He didn’t seem to care what his drinking did to anyone; he only continued to drink himself deeper into a hole.

Most days, Lacey tried her best to pray for him, and every day, she tried not to hate him.

She opened her mouth to tell Susan that she had to do something more than just counseling for herself, that no magic solution was going to fall from the sky, but before she could speak the sound of footsteps clicked on the tile floor behind her.

Bryce’s voice broke the silence. “Lacey, have you seen my MP3 player? Oh. Hi, Susan. Thanks for contributing to the computer. It sure was a surprise.”

Lacey quickly spun around in the chair to see that Bryce wasn’t alone; Randy was beside him. She looked at both men and tried to signal Bryce with her eyes to leave the room. Bryce took the hint and walked out as if nothing was happening, but instead of leaving, Randy moved closer and leaned toward Lacey’s face.

“Have you got something in your eye? If you want I can—” Randy’s words came to a sudden stop when his attention wandered to Susan, who did have something in her eye. Both eyes. Tears. Which were streaming down her face.

He straightened, and his whole body went stiff. “Is something wrong? Do you need help?”

Susan swiped her arm over her eyes, which only smeared her makeup, making her look worse. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing you can do. There’s nothing anyone can do. It’s my husband. I should go. I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”

Susan stood, but Lacey blocked her path. “Where are you going to go? Is he home? Is he…” She let her words hang. There were times Lacey feared that as the situation continued to escalate, the day might come that Eric might hit Susan. She prayed daily that things would never get to that.

Susan must have thought the same thing at the same time, because she sank back down into the chair and covered her face with her hands. “You’re right. He’s probably in worse condition than when I left, and I know I’m being a bad wife, but I can’t deal with that right now.”

Randy stepped closer to Susan. “What’s wrong? Is he sick? Is there anything anyone can do?”

She shook her head without taking her hands from her face. “No. It’s not like that. He’s not sick. He’s…he’s…” Her voice shook and trailed off as she raised her tear-streaked face. Lacey moved closer to Randy to tell Susan without words that he was with her, and that it was okay to keep talking. Once Susan figured that out, she looked straight at Randy. “My husband is at home, drunk. He was so bad I told him to stay home, not to come to my own brother’s birthday party. That’s so wrong. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Lacey didn’t know what to say, but somehow having Randy beside her made her feel stronger, and not as helpless as she always did whenever Susan’s husband went off the deep end.

Randy’s voice dropped to a soothing murmur. “I’m sorry. It sounds like he’s got a serious drinking problem.”

“I used to say that he didn’t, that he could stop anytime, but I think I was just fooling myself. Yes, he has stopped, but he never stops for long, and every time he starts again it’s worse than the time before.” The tears started flowing again down Susan’s cheeks, and her lower lip trembled. “I wish I knew how to make it stop.”

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